[sub][i]Collaboration with the talented [@Yennefer]. Flashback written together with [@Savage].[/i][/sub] [i]Late M30 The edge of the Forridien system[/i] The bridge of the [i]Eclipse[/i], as befitted any [i]Apocalypse[/i]-class battleship, was an enormous and ostentatious affair. The captain's chair, elevated on a raised platform, much like the iron throne in Gorseval's old throne room, dominated the space. It was surrounded by rows upon rows of cogitator banks, crewed by dozens of helmsmen, ensigns and servitors. Large, void-shielded windows, almost forty feet high, allowed anyone on the bridge to pensively stare into space. This was exactly what Gorseval, Primarch of the Void Stalkers, was currently doing. They had been waiting at the edge of the Forridien system for the arrival of the Wild Blades and its Primarch Erron Khaal, known as the Great Chief. It had been a little over five years since Gorseval had last seen Erron -- a meeting that had not exactly gone smoothly. It was when the Emperor, accompanied by Erron and Mon-Kal of the Bloody Host, had finally retrieved Gorseval, the last of his lost children. There had been a short, but brutal war between the Imperial forces and Gorseval's armies, and Gorseval wasn't sure if the Great Chief would have forgiven him by now. By now, the Wild Blades' fleet had arrived, and Gorseval had extended an invitation to Erron to join him on the bridge of the [i]Eclipse.[/i] One of the many screens on the cogitator bank of the captain's great chair started blinking, and Gorseval glanced at it -- Erron had arrived. With a wave of his hand, Gorseval ordered the chair to descend to the floor, and the Dark Star got to his feet. By now, he was dressed in the finest power armor the Imperial forces could forge; colored a deep shade of purple and coated in pearlescent paint, the armor bespoke of a regal elegance. Gorseval's enormous force greatsword, [i]Darkness,[/i] was slung across his back and an iron halo was attached to the armor's torso. Gorseval straightened his black cape and looked up as the great, adamantium blast-doors opened and Erron Khaal stepped onto the bridge. When the invitation had reached Erron upon his flagship, he had to admit that there was a bit of surprise that accompanied it. His brother Gorseval, while now fully and completely loyal to their Father's charge, was still not the most outgoing of his siblings. Thus, when he received the request, he took it on a sign of very good faith that his brother Gorseval meant to try and reach out after what had happened five years ago. Of those days, Erron never speaks. He has made it a standing order among his Seers to never retell the stories of brothers fallen within the rocks of Reach. While unpopular, he sees it as a necessary transgression against the culture of his people. If Erron could ever hope to try and bridge the rift between Wild Blades and Void Stalkers, some legends were better left forgotten. He entered the ship with only his four [i]Apexa Predatoris[/i], even though it was a compromise to even bring them. His Thanes, especially Ballor of the 1st, had wanted a fully armed and armored honor guard to accompany their Primarch. As much a show of strength as protection. Erron staunchly refused, wanting to go alone, but accepted to take along his body guards to appease his Thanes. All five were dressed in resplendent Artificer armor, deep emerald in color and riddled with gold designs and details. They all went helmetless, again a demand from Erron. He wanted nothing about this meeting to appear martial or abrasive. This was a meeting of brothers, not a time to reopen old war wounds. As such, he left his own sword behind, carrying only the smaller of the two [i]Sisters[/i], each of his guards replacing their typical two-handed blades for smaller knives as well. As much as he could see it bristling the most elite of his sons to be without their weapons, he spoke reassuring words as the giant doors to the [i]Eclipse's[/i] bridge opened. He saw his brother, regal in deep violet armor, and stepped forward with his arms outstretched wide, a smile on his bronzed face, green eyes bright. "Brother, good to see you again!" he said, trying to break any possible awkwardness outright by being as open and accepting as possible. Gorseval had assumed that Erron would have brought a larger retinue with him, and was pleasantly surprised that the Great Chief apparently placed enough faith in him now to only bring four bodyguards. An even bigger surprise, and great relief, was Erron's magnanimous smile and open arms. Gorseval hesitated for a few seconds, eyebrows raised, unable to fully conceal his emotions, before stepping forward with great strides and clasping his brother by the arm. "Erron," he said, and returned the Great Chief's smile with a faint curling of his lips -- something any one of the Black Guard could have attested was a very rare sight. "Thank you for coming." Much like their during their first meeting, Gorseval had dismissed all of his bodyguards and close advisers, and the bridge was only filled with the low-ranking crewmembers (all of them ordinary humans) essential to keeping the [i]Eclipse[/i] running. They all stared with wide eyes -- it was not every day that they got to witness the meeting of two Primarchs, even though they were accustomed to Gorseval's presence by now. "I have to admit I was not sure what to expect," Gorseval continued in a soft voice. The melancholic look had returned to his face by now, and he met his brother's emerald gaze with a slight hint of shame. "I have learned a lot, these past five years. Our Father's cause is righteous and I was blinded to it by my own ambition." He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Either way, it is good that you are here. How was your journey?" Erron continued to smile, and at the sight of an empty bridge, and no apparent hostilities, even his guards relaxed. Erron turned to them and waved them off, "Go off and find your cousins, I have business to attend to here," he said dismissively. "Chief?" One of them said and Erron gave the man a hard look, and he merely nodded and turned, taking the other three with him. No doubt they would simply stay close by, but at least they would not be hovering over his shoulder like an overly protective hen. He turned back to his brother, again smiling broadly and clasping his other hand on the mans shoulder, still grasping his wrist. "Well, space travel pales in comparison to feeling the wind in your hair and the sun on your face, but I cannot complain too much," he said chuckling. "As for the past," Erron shook his head from side to side, "think none of it, my friend. Time heals all things, and though we are perfectly made in our Father's image of man, does that not make us all inherently as imperfect as all mankind is?" His smile grew again, and he slapped Gorseval's shoulder, the ceramite plates clacking loudly. "Come now, you must have something aboard this giant boat to drink!" --- [i]Early M31 405,400km above the surface of Ullanor Secundus[/i] Another slight tremor swept through the [i]Eclipse[/i], quietly rattling steel doors in their frames and eliciting a metallic groan from somewhere deep in the vessel's bowels. This was normal, Gorseval knew. Spaceships had a tendency to make ghostly noises when they were in transit and the [i]Eclipse[/i] was currently positioning itself in geosynchronous orbit above the surface of Ullanor Secundus like a heavily-armed moon. The fleet of the Void Stalkers was still regrouping after their latest void battle, creating a precious moment of spare time. The Primarch had been at the helm of the [i]Eclipse[/i] for the past twenty-two hours, guiding his Legion's movements and attacks, predicting the maneuvers of the Ork ships (not an easy task, as they were exceedingly erratic) and personally captaining his gigantic flagship. While Gorseval could go for more than a week without sleep it was nice to allow himself a moment of quiet reflection and meditation after such intensity. The Dark Star had retreated deep inside the ship to his study and trophy room, a dimly-lit, round chamber nestled inside the core of the [i]Eclipse[/i]. The walls were lined with mementos from the Primarch's and the Legion's past -- the plumed helmet of the Eldar Farseer that Gorseval had bested in single combat during the War of the Reach, the Primarch's old sword, a huge Ork skull, the warhammer of the Great Smith of Byzanthrian and many more. Gorseval himself was in the middle of the room, surrounded by four huge slabs of stone hewn from the asteroids of the Reach. The history of the Void Stalkers was carved into the rock in the style of an ancient Terran culture, creating a chain of pictures that wrapped around the stones themselves that depicted the Astartes in combat against various foes. The Primarch was levitating. He sat in a cross-legged position six feet above the ground, the back of his hands resting on his knees, his fingers slack and relaxed. Gorseval's long, black hair, while still hanging down, moved slowly as if the Primarch was underwater. The temperature of the room had dropped and Gorseval's slow, rhythmic breathing condensed in the air, which was quietly humming with the reverberations of Gorseval's psychic power. Gorseval took a deep breath and opened his mind to the Warp. The humming in the air became louder and turned into a throbbing bass sound as the Dark Star, the strain visible on his face, lifted the four stone slabs a few feet into the air. They trembled slightly as if they might fall, but Gorseval solidified his telekinetic grip on them until they hung perfectly still. He exhaled slowly and took another deep breath, willing the stones to slowly start circling him. Each of the stone slabs weighed several tonnes and Gorseval had to fight to keep them up. After a minute he dropped the rock slabs back in their original positions with a loud [i]thud[/i] and sighed with relief. It was clear to him that there was still much room for improvement, but he was pleased that he managed to keep the stones moving for a full minute -- a new personal record. Gorseval was still becoming more powerful with every passing day. The sensation of standing on his own two feet again after levitating always made him feel surprisingly weak for a few seconds, Gorseval observed as he uncrossed and lowered his legs. He rolled his shoulders and looked down at the naked shape of his own body, tracing a blue vein in his arm with his gaze, visible through his pale skin. Gorseval had stepped out of his power armor for the psychic exercise and it waited for him by the door to the room. He sent out a short-range telepathic pulse and a whole host of servants immediately entered. It took three or four ordinary humans to lift just one piece of the enormous armor and they slowly (but surely) applied it to their Silent King. When all of the pieces were in place, the suit sealed itself hermetically with a [i]hiss[/i] and the servants stepped back, their heads bowed in respect. Gorseval dismissed them with a wave of his plated hand and they hurried out of the room without another word. The purple armor, trimmed with cyan like the rest of the Void Stalkers, was still as perfect as the day it was crafted. Satisfied, Gorseval stepped out of the study and locked the door behind him. Even at the impressive speed a Primarch is capable of when walking, it took Gorseval more than an hour to return to the bridge. The [i]Eclipse[/i] was so large that walking from one end of the ship to another would take an ordinary human a whole afternoon. Gorseval had summoned a few of the Void Masters to the [i]Eclipse[/i] to debrief after their latest scuffle and they were waiting for him when the Primarch entered, talking quietly among themselves. As soon as they saw Gorseval, they bowed their heads and spoke as one: "Master." "At ease," Gorseval replied. He looked at Balthasith the Destroyer, Void Master of the First Chapter and captain of the [i]Event Horizon.[/i] He was older than the rest and had a broad, flat face with a heavy brow. The First Chapter had proven their worth once more when they boarded a large Ork cruiser and disabled the engine core and the weapons from the inside. "Report," Gorseval commanded. Balthasith cleared his throat and spoke. "No significant losses. We destroyed nine Ork ships. Based on what we saw inside the cruiser, that's approximately 40,000 casualties for the Orks. The [i]Horizon[/i] could use some maintenance and repairs, but it's nothing urgent. Additionally, I would like to commend Asmodal for his valor during the boarding operation. He challenged the Ork commander to a duel and killed him in single combat." Having said that, Balthasith looked at Asmodal -- who was present himself -- and nodded. Asmodal was one of the Gorseval's oldest allies. He wasn't a Void Master or a ship captain, but a Stalker-Master of the First Chapter and generally considered to be the Void Stalkers' most dangerous combatant. He laughed and ran his gauntlet through his white hair. "It was a runt, Balthasith," he said. His voice sounded like crushed gravel. "I've fought and killed bigger Orks." Regardless, Gorseval placed his hand on the pauldron of Asmodal's Terminator armor. “Well fought,” he said, and the Stalker-Master acknowledged the gesture with a nod. “Our next targets are the shipyards on the other side of Ullanor Secundus,” Gorseval continued. "The Blazing Sisters are already on the ground fighting their way in. The plan is for them to surround the shipyards on the ground while we gather above, and then to execute a simultaneous strike. Our ships will provide fire support from orbit while the First, Second, Third, Fifth and Seventh Chapters descend to the ground." Asmodal was the first to speak up. "Where's Gabriel when you need him?" he quipped, but Gorseval replied as if he was serious. "On Ullanor Prime. He and the Sixth are attached to the Wild Blades for now," the Primarch said. "Now, if there are no further questions... very good. Dismissed. We move in one hour." --- Meanwhile on the ground of Ullanor Secondus, the Blazing Sisters were mopping up the Ork forces that had stood in the way of their advance towards the Shipyard. A lone figure stood atop a craggy hill, the form that of a set of terminator armor, though the helmet had been removed revealing the face of a handsome woman, who had a regal aura about her, as if she was destined to stand above those to labor below. Farrah sighed, placing a hand on the grip of her power maul lifting it away from the ground and setting it on the metallic table that had been set up for her to overview a map of the battlefield from. A very stout chair awaited her as she lowered herself to the seat giving a sigh as she did. [b]“This is going well, my daughters are finishing off the last of the greenskins, and the Imperial Army is setting up defensive structures, and artillery positions. Meanwhile I believe my brothers are finishing off the last of the Greenskins in orbit. All is well.”[/b] Still she sighed and looked over a data slate which read off several casualties. [b]“Only a few daughters lost. I suppose I should find this acceptable, but for every name I read on the list my heart sinks.”[/b] Everything about the Primarch was watched closely by Remembrancer Lykinnia, every expression, every nuance in her voice, remember and written down on ink and paper. Lykinnia had always preferred ink to a dataslate, it made it all feel more personal to her, and for her the personal touch was always the most important. Others would transcribe it to data slates later. Lykinnia wrote furiously her mind balancing on every word that passed from Farrah’s lips. [i]’Watching the powerful Woman before me, her head hung low as she felt grief over her, it was obvious that though this woman before me was the closest thing the Imperium had to gods, she felt sorrow for the loss of her daughters.’[/i] Both Lykinnia, and Farrah looked up at the sound of someone approaching, their eyes falling on Captain Isis still wearing her helmet, and followed by a group of five blazing sisters. [b]“My Primarch, all Ork forces in the area have been destroyed. All companies are moving to surround the shipyard in it’s entirety, and Predator tanks have taken up positions to give support fire, while the Imperial Army has set up defensive structures, and begun taking care of any stragglers we missed.”[/b] Captain Isis remained solemn after she gave her report, her armor which would have normally been clean, and in it’s best condition possible was now dirty, marred from battle, and covered in dirt. Still Captain Isis looked professional enough to be attending a ceremony with the demeanor she displayed. With a sigh Farrah slid the data slate away, a small smile appearing on her face.[b] “Then Captain, the tactical plans you have made here truly have worked most favorably for the Blazing Sisters, minimal losses, this is a great victory for the Imperium. Now we send word to my brother that we are in position, await his signal, and then attack. The greenskins will be completely taken by surprise from within while we grind them to dust from without. The Emperor will truly smile upon us for this.”[/b] The Primarch picked up her Power Maul and placed her free hand on Isis’ shoulder plate. [b]“Inform the other Captains to hold position for now. If the Orks attack beat them back, but other than that hold position. Be ready at any time, for at any time we may need to charge.” [/b] There was a look of humble appreciation on Isis’ face at the praise placed upon her. [ b]“Yes my Primarch, I will do as you command!”[ /b] Her gauntlet slammed against her breast plate and Captain isis moved away. Farrah gave a small laugh and turned to Lykinnia picking up her helmet and placing it upon her head as she did. [b]“I truly do love my daughters Lykinnia, as much as I appreciate your friendship. During the push into the shipyard, you will stay here accompanied by five of my astartes until the battle is over.”[/b] She turned and began walking towards lines of Blazing Sisters that were digging in, prepaing for the battle. Lykinnia looked to her escort that now stood around her, their faces obscured by the helmets, but she knew they likely bore grim frowns at the thought of not being able to partake in the assault on the shipping yard. Messages were sent out immediately, soaring through space to Gorseval’s vessel in orbit, telling him that his Sister, and her daughters were in position, waiting for his word to begin the assault. --- The Void Stalker fleet silently slipped around the curved surface of Ullanor Secundus and positioned itself above the shipyards. Using the long-range scanners aboard the [i]Eclipse,[/i] Gorseval could see that Farrah had done exactly as they had agreed and surrounded the Ork stronghold with the entirety of her Legion, the Blazing Sisters. The Orks were trapped like fish in a barrel. Gorseval had never been in the same theater of war as the Blazing Sisters before and he was eager to see their handiwork. From what he had heard, their style and that of the Void Stalkers was radically different and might compliment each other nicely. Without further ado, Gorseval sat back in the captain's chair of the [i]Eclipse's[/i] bridge and reached out with his mind to the surface below. He swiftly found his sister, her soul a blazing point of light among a sea of lesser women. [i]We are ready,[/i] Gorseval whispered into her mind. [i]Strike.[/i] Simultaneously, the hangar doors of the fleet's massive battleships opened and a swarm of Fire Raptors, drop pods and Stormbirds descended through Ullanor Secundus' atmosphere at breakneck speeds. After the initial bombing runs of the Fire Raptors, teleportation deep strike technology housed in the [i]Event Horizon's[/i] core sent the entirety of the First Chapter inside the Ork shipyards, led by the towering, Terminator-armored shape of Asmodal. Without the Blazing Sisters this would be a suicide attack, but Gorseval was counting on his sister's Legion to hammer the Orks from the outside, crippling their ability to fight back. The greenskins would be forced to fight a war on two fronts while under constant bombardment from the Fire Raptor gunships. The Stormbirds swiftly deposited their cargo -- namely the Second, Third, Fifth and Seventh Chapters -- on top of the shipyards, trying to find high ground among the bizarre Ork structures and half-finished ship hulls. The Void Stalkers fought their way down from there while the Unseen of the Third Chapter disappeared into the shadows, picking off Ork Nobs from the dark. Gorseval followed the action with his real eyes closed while his mind's eye hovered above the battlefield, giving him unparalleled oversight. [i]Don't let me down, Farrah.[/i] --- Everything was at a standstill, the Blazing Sisters waited patiently for the battle to begin. The only slightest bit of action taking place was the occasional potshot the Orks took at their formations. Farrah herself stood aboard her personal Land Raider staring out across the burnt broken land between the lines of astartes, and the Greenskins that leered out at them from behind makeshift walls they had built up around the shipyard. This was not going to be the hardest battle Farrah had ever been through, but it was definitely going to come close. Scouts had estimated the ork forces to be around two hundred and fifty thousand strong give or take a few. With calm eyes Farrah turned to look at her daughters in the Land Raider with them, each of them had donned their helmets as they waited for the signal. The signal was like a burning brand in her mind for a moment, she looked up and nodded to the nearest of her daughters. Quickly the marine sent out a message across the vox signaling for the assault of the shipyard to begin. It would be more than just a ground battle, it was reported there were tunnels beneath the shipyard, and Farrah knew they would have to go down those tunnels to slaughter those that would go underground. Predator tanks fired off powerful rounds at the weak points of the Ork structures sending them up in burning shrapnel. The few Orks that were caught up in the blasts went down as burnt husks of flesh laying on the ground with smoke rising off their carcasses. Then the charge started, land raiders, rhinos, and Lioness Lancers charged towards the shipyard. From above it would look as if flaming metal vehicles would be roaring towards the shipyard accompanied by enormous lions with astartes mounted atop them. It was a glorious thing that amounted to something nearing an unstoppable force. As the Blazing Sisters plowed through the remnants of the makeshift walls Orks fired their shootas down upon them, the firepower ineffective against armored behemoth vehicles. Though a single rokkit launcha found it's mark on a Rhino tearing a flaming hole through the side, several blazing Sisters tumbling out and beginning to fire back, though some ceased to move. Farrah's land raider came to a stop it's lascannons blasting through multiple groups of Ork boyz sending body parts soaring through the air. The ramp on the back of hte vehicles opened, blazing sisters poured out into the battle, the shipyard became a land of carnage body parts flying haphazardy through the air, the sounds of chainswords revving over the pounding roar of battle. Farrah's land raider opened to release the Primarch who was now fully shod in her terminator armor helmet and all. She strode through the batlle as easily as someone would stroll down a street. Any ork that crossed her path wound up a brushed wad of flesh, blood, and bone on the ground. Farrah moved towards the middle of the shipyard, her armored form stopping as a group of eight nobs were suddenly standing before her. A grin crossed her face under her helmet as she moved forwards and in a single move brought her power maul crashing through the heads of two of the nobs who stood at least three feet taller than she did. The other were so surprised they barely had time to bring their weapons up before another one took a plasma blast through the chest. Farrah's shield came up as multiple blows came from those remaining causing her to slide backwards through the war torn dirt. The attacks didn't even phaze Farrah though as she swung her shield outwards smashing another's face in, her power maul crashing into the remaining nobs, and ripped their bodies asunder with it's power. All around her was gore, and the heaving bodies of dead orks, and in her wake lay the dead bodies of orks who had stood in her way. While the Orks put up an admirable defense at first, the situation turned absolutely sour for them when the Shield of the Imperium and the Blazing Sisters joined the fray. Asmodal, Stalker-Master of the First Chapter, found Farrah standing amidst the ruined corpses of eight Ork Nobz easily her size, if not bigger. All around them were the large metal shapes of the ship parts the Ork Mekboyz had been building, and various rickety structures that supported them. The din of the battle still being fought in the rest of the shipyards was overwhelming and Asmodal raised his voice to make himself heard. "Hail, Primarch!" he yelled and raised his power sword in greeting. "Fine day for a scrap, isn't it? It looks like most of the Orks are fleeing underground but they're guarding the entrances heavily. My scouts report several Killa Kans. I [i]could[/i] signal for the fleet to blast the entrances open, but... that seems a little inelegant. Would you care to join us?" Hearing the voice of the male astartes Farrah turned, her cold eyes staring at Asmodal who seemed jovial at the battle. Farrah on the other hand looked at the command as more of a job, it was a rush of course, but she did not take nearly as much joy in watching her daughters grapple with death in the manner they did. [b]"I see you Son of Gorseval. I believe I will take you up on the offer."[/b] Though just as she said this another Blazing Sister approached her armor still as burnt and marred as it had been when she had briefed the Primarch earlier. [b]"My Primarch! I would request you allow me the honor of taking the first charge against the tunnel Entrances. My squad and I stand ready to destroy the Orks so that the legions may go underground and destroy the last of the greenskin forces."[/b] Captain Isis stood there a look of appreciation for her Primarch written across her unhelmted face. [b]"Son of Gorseval, if you do not mine, my daughter Captain Isis would like to take my place and lead the charge into the tunnels. Do you object?"[/b] Asmodal shrugged, the movement barely perceptible in his deep purple Terminator armor. "It's all the same to me, Primarch. Captain Isis, follow me," he said and strode away, his fireteam following him. Four other Terminator-clad Void Stalkers accompanied Asmodal, all veterans of the First Chapter. As they made their way through the winding paths between the heaps of scrap, giant sheet-plates and piles of Ork corpses, more Void Stalkers joined the procession, mostly from the Fifth and Seventh Chapters. They were the flexible backbone of the Void Stalkers but, while adaptable, they were eager to dive underground. Tunnels always reminded them of their home, the asteroid collective of the Reach. Some of the Unseen seemed to appear out of thin air, their camo-cloaks hiding them until they decided to reveal themselves. The entrances to the mines were all in the center of the shipyard and heavy fighting was still taking place surrounding the huge, cavernous mine shafts. The Orks were fighting tooth and nail to keep the Space Marines out and the battered Legionnaires, Void Stalker and Blazing Sister alike, were relieved to see reinforcements. Just inside the mines Asmodal spotted the Killa Kans, lurking in the shadows and waiting for their enemies to approach. "The first charge is yours, Captain," Asmodal said to Isis. "After you." A huge smile erupted behind Captain Isis' helmet as she brough up her pair of lightning claws, charging forward in her terminator armor the rest of her squad followed closely their own terminator armor charging in rythm with their captain. All of them carried a power weapon of some kind, and as they reached the Killa Kans the battle truly began for the Captain. She had never fought a Killa kan on her own before, but she was truly thankful for the experience as she jerked out of it's massive weapons way, and brought a lightning claw across the front tearing through a bit of the massive armor. One of her squad members went down as her helmet was crushed by a decisive blow from a Killa Kan, blood and skull oozing from the smashed Helmet. Captain Isis roared in anger, and a lightning claw came around and ripped through the front of her foe in rage, the Grot inside being torn to shreds, causing the enormous suit of armor to shudder and fall backwards. Her sisters were making quick work of the others as thunder hammers, and power swords did their deeds the other Killa Kans crashing to the ground. The other astartes fighting Orks around them were soon rewarded with more Reinforcements as Farrah Charged in leading, a group of Lion Lancers into the fray, the massive felines tearing apart orks wherever they happened to come upon them. The Void Masters directed the movements of the Void Stalker Chapters from aboard their ships and it didn't take long for the rest of the Legion to start making their way towards the entrances to the mines. Gorseval had sensed that the most significant threat was there. Down on the ground, Asmodal was the most senior officer present, and he led the charge of the Void Stalkers as they joined their Sisters in vicious combat. He dispatched the last of the Killa Kans with a point-blank blast of his multi-melta and briefly paused to admire the Lion Lancers. "Impressive," he said to Captain Isis. "That said, it's time to go underground. I respectfully advise that you let the Void Stalkers take point here. We know the darkness like the back of our hands." And so it was; the Void Stalkers led the way, with the Unseen at the very front. They stowed their sniper rifles on their backs, drew their silver daggers and disappeared into the shadows. If they had been fighting Eldar, Asmodal would have been worried about traps, but that didn't seem to be the Ork way of doing things. The sunlight began to dim as they advanced and slowly became a faint memory behind them. For the first mile or so the Astartes didn't encounter a single Ork. It was quiet. "Too quiet," Asmodal whispered to himself. The silence was broken by the alarmed yells of one of the Unseen. He came running back to the Astartes line, his camo-cape flapping behind him. "Witchcraft!" he hissed as he slid to a stop in front of Asmodal, Captain Isis and Farrah. "There's a Weirdboy here, sir," he reported, speaking quickly and quietly. "I spotted it approximately four hundred yards further into the tunnel, just behind that bend over there. Don't rightly know what it's doing, but it can't be any good," he finished explaining. "Where's Gabriel when you need him?" Asmodal said for the second time that day; Gabriel was an Epsilon-level psyker and would have known what to do. A few powerful steps and Captain Isis stood next to the Void Stalkers, her head nodding.[b]"I will take care of him!"[/b] She shouted and charged off in the direction of the weirdboy her charging form disappearing into the darkness. Farrah gave a growl as she watched her Captain run off. [b]"You stay here! All of you!"[/b] Farrah said, a large dose of anger in her voice as she chased after her very impetuous Captain. As Isis neared the location she saw the weird boy and gave a cry of rage at the sight of the Ork both of her lightning claws raising up as she prepared to strike down the creature. Unfortunately for Captain Isis she was not prepared to fight the powerful psyker, he released a powerful blast of energy that washed over the Captain sending her tumbling across the ground, her body coming to a rest at Farrah's feet. The Primarch looked down at her Captain and gave a deep sigh seeing her defeated by the psyker ork, and gently stepped over her. The Weirdboy just began to laugh hysterically as Farrah did the same as her Captain and began to charge forward. The weirdboy looked distraut for a moment though before suddenly belching and a enormous torrent of flames issued from his mouth to wash over the Primarch. Her Storm shield came around though and the flames washed over it spreading out over the Primarch burning away her decorative feathers, and singing her pelt. The belch ceased though, and the weirdboy seemed appeased until he realized the Primarch was nearly standing on top of them. [b]"Hah.. Ah ha."[/b] The Ork managed to squeek out before the Primarch's Power Maul came crashing down smashing the Weird Boy into a pulp on the ground that immediately burst into blue flames, and ash that fluttered away in cool underground air. --- The Blazing Sisters and the Void Stalkers spent a few more hours mopping up the stragglers, but the fight had left the Orks. Gorseval theorised that Urg had kept most of his powerful Nobz by his side on Ullanor Prime. With the death of the Weirdboy their leadership was too weak to keep the Orks together and they attempted to flee into the wilderness that surrounded the shipyards. The Imperial Army was ready for them, and some of the Blazing Sisters occupied themselves by hunting the Orks down. Satisfied, Gorseval descended from his captain's chair and summoned the Void Stalkers back to the fleet. Their job here was done, with acceptable losses. He would not mourn them. He stood by the towering void-windows on the [i]Eclipse's[/i] bridge and thought about his next move. They would have to blast the ship assembly stations out of orbit, of course, but that wouldn't be any trouble at all. The Ork kroozers that were supposed to defend the primitive space stations had already been destroyed. He had a codified message sent to Farrah's personal vox-comm, expressing his gratitude for her assistance and commending her for her valor. On one hand, he thought of her as reckless (what would become of her Legion if she died in battle?), but he had to admire her combat skills. "So," Gorseval said as he turned to his tacticians and advisers, waiting for him by the large holo-table that depicted the Ullanor system. "Where are we needed now?" --- Several hours after the assault, Farrah stood atop her Land Raider, the terminator armor she had worn into battle long removed as she traded it for a nice cloth wrap which was slide around her body, and tied into a knot holding it onto her body nice and secure. Lykinnia stood nearby on the ground staring up at the Primach gently writing down what Farrah recounted of the assault. [i]'The Primarch was fierce in her display of power against the Orkish warriors. Her Blazing Sisters fighting with a fervor that only Farrah could inspire in them. There was much disappointment during the assault those as Primarch Farrah lost several of her Daughters, and the fact that her favored daughter Captain Isis had been so foolish, and almost lost her own life. I cannot put into words the expressions the Primarch I call friend makes as I write this. i see a deep pain, but also a serenity holding it at bay '[/i] Farrah stood and turned to look over the shipyard, occasionally hearing the sound of bolter fire when a Blazing Sister came across a Ork, or Grot that had hidden themself away. [b]"Lykinnia... Write of the sacrifice of my daughters. Tell of their ferocity, and bravery. Write that when the Fifth Legion was needed... They came to the call, and answered valiantly."[/b]